


H E A D G E A R

by toni_of_the_trees



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Military, Fire fights, Guilt, Kidnapping, Lovers, M/M, POW's, Privates, Rescue Missions, Sergeants, Survivor Guilt, Torture, Violence, War, abductions, clears throat, hostages, injuries, it'll probably get worse, prisoners of war, shoot outs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-07
Updated: 2017-05-08
Packaged: 2018-10-29 02:28:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10844601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toni_of_the_trees/pseuds/toni_of_the_trees
Summary: "IF YOU DON'T PUT YOUR GOD DAMN HEAD BOWL ON I'M GONNA SHOOT YOU IN THEBRAIN MYSELF!" Matthew snarled loud in demand, shooting a short glare at the boy.Will fumbled around in the trench, eyes blurred as he finally found his helmetand messily settled it over his hair, coughing and shaking his head when a pileof more dust and dirt spilled from the gear down over his face.He tried to focus himself in his adrenalized panic, snatching his weapon back up and un-crouchingto fire at the enemy, the butt of the rifle beating into his sore shoulder relentlessly. "MATTY, I'M OUT OF-"His shout was cut short as a bullet snapped by him, ripping skin away from the edge of his throat.





	1. Fugazi

**Author's Note:**

> I found another half thing in my computer and decided to work on it too.
> 
> *shrugs with full-blown guilt*
> 
> Fugazi means 'fucked', basically btw. 
> 
> : ]

  

 

 

Will yelped, ducking into the trench as a barrage of bullets flew over his head.

"Stay down kid!" Matthew yelled, pushing Will's head down into the  
dirt with one hand as he returned fire into the trees.

"BROWN, BROWN!!! PHHT MATTY, STOP!" Will's muffled cried barely  
reached the man's ears over the gunfire. "B-BROWN!" He choked on the  
muddy grass again, trying to pull from under the heavy hand that was keeping  
him face down.

"SHIT, sorry-!" Matthew huffed, letting go of the dusty short curls as Will  
lifted his head up a bit to gasp for air and spit out dry chunks of dirt.

"You fucking cunt! I can handle my own god damn skull!" Will cursed at Matthew  
with flushed red cheeks coated with brown soil and torn blades of grass.

"Shut up and shoot!"

They stayed nestled in the small trench, trading places as one then the other  
rose over to fire into the woods, the automatic weapons deafening beside  
each other when one crouched down to reload.

"IF YOU DON'T PUT YOUR GOD DAMN HEAD BOWL ON I'M GONNA SHOOT YOU IN THE  
BRAIN MYSELF!" Matthew snarled loud in demand, shooting a short glare at the boy.

Will fumbled around in the trench, eyes blurred as he finally found his helmet  
and messily settled it over his hair, coughing and shaking his head when a pile  
of more dust and dirt spilled from the gear down over his face.

He tried to focus himself in his adrenaline panic, snatching his weapon back up and un-crouching  
to fire at the enemy, the butt of the rifle beating into his sore shoulder  
relentlessly. "MATTY, I'M OUT OF-" His shout was cut short as a bullet snapped  
by him, ripping skin away from the edge of his throat. "-FUCK!!!!"

Will ducked and placed his hand over the grazed hot wound, wincing hard before  
crawling around Matthew's rear to grab a new case of ammunition.

He jumped back up, ignoring Matthew's worried glances as he resumed firing.

"ARE YOU HIT?! God, DAMNIT! Where the fuck is 2nd!?" Matthew screamed over the high pitched  
whizzes and pops, flinching every time the tree above their trench splintered and  
threw bark at their faces.

"I'M FINE- MATTY THIS SHIT IS FUGAZI, WE GOTTA GO, THERE'S NO BACKUP, NO REINFORCEMENTS,  
THEY'RE GONE, WE CAN'T FIGHT THEM OURSELVES, LET'S GO!!"

"Go WHERE you fucking brat!? They're blasting mortars every god damn five feet from here!"

Will frowned, wiping a quick swipe of mud and sweat from his cheek as he groaned and  
stood from his crouch again to fire.

Matthew growled and leaned over to shout loud enough for Will to hear, placing a hand  
over the bloody nick on his neck.

"Will stay down and I'll go look for-" Matthew jolted back a bit, flinching to the side when a   
sudden burst of blood spattered up over his face and neck.

He blinked hard and wiped the red from his eyes, widening when he stared back into the  
frozen bright blue ones that slowly looked down.

Will heaved a wet cough that turned into a bout of blood spilling from his mouth, hands  
raising to stop the mess as he choked in front of him.

Matthew raised his hands as well with tremoring fingers, quickly surging foreward to cover  
the hip wound below Will's ribs. Will cursed and spat up more blood, groaning when Matthew  
helped him drop to his knees.

"Fuck-f, fuck! No! FUCK!!" Matthew began to panic his hands over the slow gushing hole. He  
pressed his forehead against Will's, shushing the young man when he broke a painful sob.

"Fuck- MEDIC!!! MEDIC!!! God, DAMMIT!!" Matthew screamed as loud as he could over  
the bombs and gunfire, panting through his tears when Will slowly stopped whimpering,  
his clenching fingers loosening on Matthew's forearms.

\---

Will woke up slow, cracking an eye open as he moaned.

"..fff..fuck...what the fuck?.." He looked down, opening both eyes now as he examined  
the layers of gauze wrapped around his waist and up over his shoulder.

"Shit..shit, h-hey..hey, nurse!? Medic, HEY!!!" Will fought off the drugs coursing through  
the needles in his arm, shouting as he pulled them out.

"HEY, GET ME OUTTA HERE!" His panic rose when no one responded in the large tent full  
of other unconscious soldiers.

"You're awake...here, please..." A man calmly appeared out of nowhere, placing a gentle  
hand on Will's arm as he coaxed him to lie back down in the cot.

Will glared up in confusion, taking in the blurry features of the taller slightly tan man  
with dirty blonde hair dusting over his forehead.

"Private Graham, can you hear me?"

"...y-yes...I can fucking hear you....why am I here?"

The man cracked a sad smile. "You've been injured, William...we found you in a trench  
practically bled out to death..."

"What!? I..I wasn't alone, I had, I had Matty with me! He was trying..I think he was  
trying to stop the bleeding, I got shot...I think, and he...where's Matty!?" Will's  
frantic breathing returned as he tried to recall the last events.

"...that's not for me to inform you about right now...but...I can't help but feel  
guilty withholding the news from you..." The man frowned now, sighing softly  
as he carefully replaced the IV to Will's arm with a wince from the bright wide eyes.

"Wh-what's your name..?" Will asked with tears brimming his eyes now. The nurse blinked  
at him and furrowed his nose a bit. "My name is Hannibal...Lecter. I'm a nurse here as you all call it but,  
I'm actually a surgeon back home. I've been a soldier for many years though..."

"Hannibal...Dr. Lecter, please, tell me..?" Will's voice was no longer furious, just solid desperate sorrow on his tone  
in his plea.

"There are reports that after you were shot down, the enemy somehow disabled Mr. Brown and dragged him off  
somewhere, presumably a hostage for information or retreat."

"What!? How...when did the meat wagon show up for me then?! I don't remember anyone taking Matty, who  
found me, why didn't they take me too!?" Will strained to sit up again, Hannibal sighing as he pushed him back  
down and shook his head.

"I don't think they knew you were alive, your pulse was practically untraceable when   
we found you. The medical team didn't show up until the fields were swept and checked for any more explosives.  
Here, I found this in the dirt by you in the trench. It's how we figured he's become MIA, no body, but signs of a  
struggle- he must have ripped it off and dropped it by you so we would find it when we gathered you."

Will blinked and stared at the long silver chain Hannibal placed into his hand, the dog tags reading Matthew's  
name and medical information engraved into the metal.

"M..Matty..oh god..." Will whimpered under his breath. 

\---

"...are...are we looking for him? Let me out of here, I gotta go get him, he's a hot-headed mother fucker,  
he'll end up shot with the way he runs his damn mouth off..."

"They have teams looking for contact if they're holding him hostage, don't worry yourself too much, you  
need-"

"To rest? Nah, I'll sleep when I'm dead alright, I'm outta here, you can't keep me here."  
Will once again removed the IV's and stood from the cot, Hannibal stepping aside to watch the boy  
pick up his uniform top from the folding chair and cringe as he put it on.

"You're right, I can't keep you here, but I can't imagine you're educated medically to keep your wound   
clean...so, I suppose I'll have Ms. Katz take over this tent and I'll go with you."

Will snapped his eyes to the doctor with bewilderment on his face, a short scoff as he eye'd his medical  
pinned camo uniform.

"Uh, if you want to tag along I'm not going to babysit your ass, I'm going to find him with or without you."  
Will muttered, pulling Matthew's tags over his dirty short curls and tucked them in his collar.

"I'm happy to remind you I had the same training you've had a very long time ago, and this isn't my first  
tour overseas. I can very well handle myself. If you wish to succeed in finding your comrade it'll do no good  
if you die of infection along the way, or if you get there and he's injured and you don't know how to treat  
them. " Hannibal removed his gloves and gathered his medical ruck sack with medications and supplies.

Will stared at him for a moment before looking down to do up his top, frowning when he noticed the   
excessive amount of dried blood stained around a shredded hole in one side. "I take it we don't have  
any fresh uniforms out here...?"

"Regrettably no, we don't. Most people who are brought here stay here until a bird arrives to take them   
home, which is quite some time from now." Hannibal turned and did the top up for him, straightening his  
collar as he smiled at the curious bright blue eyes above dirt and faded blood staining his cheeks.

Will cleared his throat and thanked him for helping, grabbing the rest of his gear with careful maneuvers  
as to not pop any stitches in his side.

"Helmet?" Hannibal asked when Will almost left it behind.

Will froze and turned, looking down at the filthy thing in the seat. Remembering how it always drove   
Matthew up a wall that he constantly forgot the garment, demanding he put the damn 'head bowl' back on  
anytime he caught him without it.

"Y-yeah, forgot.." Will grabbed it and dusted a bit of the permanent dirt from it, placing it on his  
head sloppily before following Hannibal out of the tent.

\---

 

 


	2. More Than A Fellow Soldier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hannibal smirked and shook his head once with a soft blink, "Of course not. I was just thinking it was   
> a shame for myself, I had planned on courting you once we were out of the situation."
> 
> Will's eyes shot back to the man, wide and shocked as he blushed even harder and gawked at the   
> handsome foreign doctor, letting his wrist go as he blinked in bewilderment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...I'm literally drunk-hiccuping at five a.m.....
> 
> lord help me, what am I doing.

   

 

 

"How far away is the trench we were in?" Will asked in the passenger seat of a Humvee, looking to the  
dark intimidating looking man driving at a frightening speed through a path in the woods.

"Not far- 20 minutes tops with how I drive kid." Jack glanced at the young boy, eyeing the bloodied  
uniform for a second before returning his eyes to the route.

"Again, Sargent Crawford, we do appreciate you bringing us along on the mission." Hannibal said  
from the back, sitting with his arms propped on his weapon standing between his legs, swaying  
a bit as the vehicle swerved and rumbled over stumps and rocks.

"Hell, I'm glad to have a damn medic close enough to call, and to have the last person to see Brown,  
he's best mate, helps a lot. Even if you're a limping fucker." Jack scoffed, smirking at Will who pouted  
and shrugged his shoulder.

"I still think this is a baaad idea, dude's gotta be dead by now-" Another soldier said in the back with  
Hannibal, the man grunting when the one by his side elbowed his ribs.

Will snapped his eyes over his shoulder to the group, glaring at the one who had spoke.

"Don't listen to Zeller, he's a fuckin' moron." "My bad I didn't mean dead, I meant having brunch with  
the enemy, is that better Jimmy? Hm?"

Hannibal smiled as the three of them all shifted and bounced in the fast barreling vehicle's backseat,  
Will shaking his head as he turned back forward to brace his hands on the dashboard.

"Could you ease up on the fast and furious, sarge? I'm getting a damn diaper rash back here!"  
Zeller called out, Jack laughing in return.

"Not a chance. I'll get you some ass cream when we get back with Brown."

Will smiled a bit, relieved to hear how determined Crawford was to help him find Matthew.

\---

"So this is where you got nicked?" Zeller asked as he walked around the trench with his gun twisted  
on his hip.

"This is where I got nicked in the neck, also where I got SHOT, so..." Will gestured obviously to the   
large blood stain on his uniform. "Right, sorry, shit, bullet went straight through? Can I see it?"

"No." Hannibal, Will, and Jack all answered at the same time, Jimmy chuckling in the background as  
Zeller raised his hands and rolled his eyes.

"Kay, so, go ahead kid, sometimes this shit works, if you're okay with it- get on down there and  
try and remember if you were conscious at all when Brown was snatched." Jack said as Will took   
his helmet off and slid down into the trench.

Hannibal quirked his head and watched Will toss the helmet to the dirt, the boy staring at it for   
a moment before lifting his weapon and aiming it at the trees across the field.

"...you didn't have your bowl on, Private?" Jack said with annoyance on his tone.

"No..not for a minute, it got knocked off while Matty and I were trading spots to reload...his elbow  
tipped it and it fell off my head. I didn't have time to put it back on, I just stood and started shooting.  
He got mad when he noticed I didn't have it on and bullets were flying over us so, he pushed me down  
to the ground I almost suffocated cause he didn't realize I was eating dirt, he was shooting one handed  
to get us a chance to recover our hearing and shit." Will leaned down and put his helmet back on,

"He yelled at me, 'if you don't put your god damn head bowl on I'm gonna shoot you in the brain   
myself'....I put it on, tried to tell him I was fresh out of ammo...then I felt like someone fuckin' tried   
to cut my throat, but it was a bullet that knicked my neck. I gave up trying to talk to him, my ears  
were practically useless everything sounded like speaking through a toilet roll with paper stuffed   
in it. So I tried to help myself to his ammo. Then...I think he said he was going to go somewhere  
and told me to stay put but...then I saw his face, blood just splattered on it, he had shifted to the  
side when he heard the same close ranged shot I did, I guess there was someone in the trees beside the trench  
and we didn't notice him behind me. I-"

"Will-" Hannibal interrupted, Will gasping as he snapped out of his memory and looked up at  
the group staring down at him.

"H-huh?"

"The bullet wound entered from the front, is this where you were standing?" Hannibal slid down into  
the trench with the boy and stood in front of him, grabbing his shoulders.

Will blinked a few times and looked down, shifting his feet back and to the side a bit.

"Here...I think...he was here, holding my neck...then when I got shot he had moved to the side  
as soon as I heard a gunshot a whole lot closer than all the other ones from across the field, like,  
only a second before it actually hit me."

Hannibal moved to the side a bit, letting one hand go from Will's neck and kept the other one on  
the healing cut below his jawline.

They all turned and looked at the trees a few yards away beside the trench.

"So he was in the trees over there. I say we check it out, see if the bastard left anything behind."  
Jack said, heading that way with Zeller and Price on his heel.

Hannibal helped Will out of the trench and stopped when the boy grabbed his wrist.

"Are you saying that Matty would have been hit if he hadn't moved?" Will asked almost baffled.

"...yes, likely. Why?" Hannibal answered with a raised brow.

"N..nothing, just...don't tell him that when we find him? He's really protective of me, he'd never forgive  
himself if he had it in his mind that he could have stopped me from being shot." Will frowned as he   
gave Hannibal a pleading look, the man raising a the other brow as he stared at him curiously.

"He's not just your comrade...he's your lover." Hannibal stated, realizing now it was more than just   
a soldier searching for a fellow soldier.

Will tensed his neck and swallowed hard, flushing red as he stared back at the doctor's crimson gaze,  
wondering for a moment before he nodded.

"You gonna report me...?" Will asked shakily, scrunching his brows as he worried his eyes over Hannibal's  
shoulder to the three soldiers searching the wooded area a distance away from them.

Hannibal smirked and shook his head once with a soft blink, "Of course not. I was just thinking it was   
a shame for myself, I had planned on courting you once we were out of the situation."

Will's eyes shot back to the man, wide and shocked as he blushed even harder and gawked at the   
handsome foreign doctor, letting his wrist go as he blinked in bewilderment.

"I..I..oh, I'm...sorry, I..." Will stammered, clearing his throat as he took a shy step back. He gasped  
when his boot slipped on the edge of the trench, a short yelp before the man reached out and   
caught his elbow to stop him from tumbling back into the hole.

Hannibal chuckled and lead Will a few feet away from the trench, "You've got back luck with this  
spot don't you?"

Will rubbed his face and followed the doctor towards the trees, "Y-yeah, apparently..."

"Either way, no worries...I'll only flirt with you until we find your dear Matthew." Hannibal  
gave the boy a wink over his shoulder and smiled at the way he almost froze again, his dirty   
curly hair almost standing up as he was pinned under the subtle endearment.

\---

"Nice of you two to join us...this is definitely the tree some sleazebag was hiding behind,  
he left the spent round. These look like drag marks, they got Brown and pulled him through the  
woods this way. He was smart enough to kick and fight to leave a visible path. Scary thing is he  
was bleeding if this isn't the enemy's blood. It's not a lot, but there's random spots of it on the way.  
Price, you stay with Zeller in the Humvee, keep your radios quiet unless there's an emergency or  
if we contact you first- otherwise don't give up our position by ringing us. Doc, you come with   
me and Graham since I know he'll object to staying behind and I might need your hands."

"You planned on doing this alone, Sarge?" Will asked with confusion on his tone.

"No, I planned on finding him and letting base control know so they can blitz the bastards while  
I get his ass out of there. I would've had others with me, but you two seemed like a more personal  
option. It could help. Now lets get going."

\---

After over an hour of walking through the woods, Hannibal insisted they stop to let him clean Will's wound.

"I'm fine, it's not hurting-" Will was cut short and shouted when Jack hip-checked Will, the boy dropping to one knee as he  
held his side and cursed the Sargent.

"I'll let the names slide since I just hurt you, but sit your ass down and let the man clean you up private,  
you're not superman."

Will wheezed and cringed, cracking an eye open as he glanced up at Jack, scowling as he dropped to his   
rear and lifted his weapon up over his head to set aside.

Hannibal chuckled and crouched down, opening his ruck while the boy took his tops off and started unwrapping  
the bloody gauze.

"Christ...maybe I shouldn't have let you fucking come." Jack muttered as Will winced and removed the last layer to  
show the bruised swollen skin surrounding a small sewn shut hole above his hip.

"It's a through and through, I've seen guys fight with much worse, I can handle it." Will responded with a frown,  
watching as Hannibal pushed him on his back in the grass and drenched a cloth with a sterilizing liquid.

"You weren't awake when I did this before, William, so, brace yourself, it'll be insanely cold for a brief horrible  
second, then it'll burn for a while after that, but it'll feel better once I wrap it back up." Hannibal stared down  
at the wound and exhaled as Will inhaled in preparation, his dirty hands clenching the grass in his fists as he  
waited for the pain.

Jack flinched, almost ducking when the boy suddenly howled, Hannibal pouring a few seconds worth of the  
sterilizer directly on the wound. Jack let his weapon drop and hang from his shoulder as he launched  
over to cover the poor thing's mouth with his large hand, his eyes wild as he hushed the squirming young man.

"All done, here, hold this on it while I wrap him up, help him sit up-" Hannibal hurried as Jack wrapped an arm behind  
Will, sitting him up as he kept his hand over the whimpering mouth messing his palm with saliva.

"Jesus, if that didn't let them know where we are I don't know what the hell we're being quiet for- you've got  
some pipes kid." Jack snarled with worry, looking around the trees as Hannibal rushed to wrap the boy up.

Will sniffled against the hand and shivered in pain, blinking at the sergeant as he muffled a few words to him.

Jack laughed, Hannibal grinning as he finished up.

"Did you just say you're superman, private?"

Will nodded against the hand, cringing with a stifled yelp when Hannibal tightened and taped the last of the gauze  
against him.

\---


	3. A Guide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I want to go-" Will started, pausing as they all flinched at the sound of sudden screams echoing from the tent.
> 
> Will's eyes practically blew out of his head as he gasped and snatched up his rifle, the boy's surge of fear and  
> fury sending him instantly to a quick leap through the bushes as he slipped through Jack and Hannibal's fingers.  
> His helmet left spinning in the dirt.
> 
> "SHIT-" Jack cursed as Hannibal groaned and launched out of the woods after him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk o_o

 

 

 

Hannibal worried his eyes down at Will as they walked a few feet behind Jack, the boy practically limping in   
desperate need of a crutch as he tried to focus on keeping up with at least Hannibal.

"...Will-" "Don't...I'm good, keep your eyes up please...I want to get to Matty alive."

Hannibal nodded and returned his eyes to the trees as they walked slowly and silently through the tall plants.

\---

"Hey, uh, I gotta fuckin shit like crazy, I've been trying to hold it, but...nature's calling...can you go ahead and let  
Crawford know to slow down, don't shout for him, he'll get pissed again." Will said with a sigh as he gestured  
Hannibal on, stepping into the bushes off to the side.

Jack and Hannibal walked back to where Hannibal had seen Will step off to, standing for a moment as they  
kept an eye on the environment around them.

"Hurry up Graham, pinch it off and let's go." Jack demanded, glancing back to the bushes before freezing  
as he heard a cluster of snapping twigs.

"What the shit-" They both looked down as a rabbit emerged from the bushes, spotting the hovering men and  
taking off away from them.

"Will?" Hannibal worried, furrowing his brow as he hurried through the bushes and called for Jack who rushed to   
his side.

"God DAMMIT, they've been following us the whole fucking time, let's go!"

Hannibal cursed and snatched up Will's abandoned helmet, jumping over the large tree stump after Jack   
to follow the trail Will had so silently left behind.

\---

"Jack-!" Hannibal called out, drawing his weapon up to aim when they spotted two men dragging Will through   
the woods- the boy flailing and trying to claw at the arm wrapped around his neck with a red cloth shoved in his mouth.

  
"I see him- STOP OR WE'LL SHOOT!!" Jack shouted, dropping to the ground as Hannibal grabbed his arm and pulled him  
down when one of the men turned to fire over their heads.

In a split second Hannibal had snatched his pistol from his belt and shot the man directly in the head, the other  
startling at the sudden blow and dropping Will to the dirt.

"KNEES, NOW!" Hannibal yelled, the man tossing his weapon to the side and raising his hands as he surrendered instantly.

Jack raised his brows and stood with the doctor, "Hell of a good shot there, Dr. Lecter." "Thank you."

They hurried over, Hannibal's pistol still aimed at the still living man's head as he trembled and watched the two approach.

Will yanked the cloth from his mouth and coughed, wheezing for a moment before he fumbled to his feet.

"Will-!" Jack tried, reaching out and failing to catch the boy when he launched from his couch to tackle the man  
and began wailing on him with a flurry of fists.

"Graham, control yourself before I put you out of this, NOW!" Jack demanded, trying to pull Will from beating   
the abductor.

"NO! WHERE'S MATTY YOU SON OF A BITCH, FUCKING TELL ME OR I'LL RIP YOUR GOD DAMNED BALLS OFF!   
WHERE'S MATTY!?!" Will gripped the man's throat, screaming in his face as he panted exhaustively.

The man spat up into Will's face, the boy flinching at the sudden action that hit his cheek and brow.

"YEAH!?" Will answered with a grin, standing to grab the man's own rifle and so quickly before Hannibal or Jack  
could stop him- stabbing the blade taped to the end into the grounded abductor's shoulder.

Hannibal held a hand out to prevent Jack from stopping the boy now.

The man screamed in agony as Will held the blade firm in his shoulder, snarling down at him furiously  
as he spoke.

"WHERE DID THEY TAKE MATTHEW BROWN. BLACK HAIR. WHITE SKIN. NO DOG TAGS. YOU GOTTA KNOW SINCE YOU  
WERE PRETTY FUCKING OKAY SNATCHING MY ASS UP BEFORE I COULD EVEN PULL MY PANTS DOWN AND SHIT IN THE  
WOODS, A BAD HOBBY OF YOURS, HUH!? TELL ME!"

"Go FUCK yourself!!" The man hissed back at Will, panting as he glared up at him.

"Go fuck myself- he says go fuck myself," Will twisted the blade, pressing harder with a harsh grunt as the man   
shrieked in pain. "MY DOCTOR JUST PUT A BULLET IN YOUR LITTLE KIDNAPPING BUDDY'S HEAD FROM A FEW YARDS  
AWAY, I CAN PUT ONE IN YOURS WITH NO FUCKING TROUBLE AT ALL, WHERE WERE YOU ASSHOLES GOING TO TAKE ME!?"

Hannibal and Jack watched in shock at the vulgar fury Will emanated now, the boy practically trembling with adrenaline.

"I'll take you, take it out god dammit~! They'll fucking massacre you motherfuckers when you get there anyway!"  
The man shouted, cursing when Will snatched the blade out.

"Good. I didn't need another reason to fucking slit every one of the bastards throats anyway."  
Will huffed as he turned to Hannibal and Jack.

"Look, we got a guide now." Will smiled, Jack and Hannibal staring at him in awe.

"Uh...good job private." Jack managed as he cleared his throat.

"I think I popped a stitch though.." Will scoffed with a sheepish smile and blush.

"I'll check it out while Sergeant Crawford ties up this fellow." Hannibal said with a low chuckle.

  
\---

Jack, Hannibal and Will crouched in the brush by the trees around a small militarized campsite, their   
hostage bound and gagged as Jack held him in his tight grip.

"Which tent do you put POW's in?" Will asked quietly, looking around at the four tents propped up in the dirt field.

The man waited as Jack slowly moved his pointing hand at each tent, stopping when the man grunted against  
the cloth on one of the tents.

"Really? Okay, cause to be honest I think it might be the one with an empty chair sitting outside of it. Y'know, for  
a guard to sit in while guarding a prisoner?" Will snarled, suddenly snapping a small knife up into the man's neck  
and snatching it back out as the blood spurted and shot across his face and neck.

Jack's eyes were wide as he let the man drop to the grass, bleeding out with muffled gurgles before dying   
between their knees. He looked at Will with a silent furious question on his eyes.

"The bastard was going to take me here and torture me, he's captured and still spewing lies trying to   
get us killed. Either way, we don't need him now." Will said with a flat tone, turning to look at the tents again.

Jack looked to Hannibal who simply smiled, nodding with a shrug before wiping a small bit of blood that managed   
to get on his jaw when the boy yanked the blade from the man's throat.

\---

After waiting and watching for a long while, they determined that the only person moving about was the man   
who kept exiting and returning the tent with the chair placed out front of it.

"There's probably other's in the other three, but they're too busy with whatever they're doing to come out.  
The guard for the fourth is either bored on pulling double duty to watch Brown and the site." Hannibal  
said, tilting his head as he watched the man step back inside the tent.

"Good....I'll disarm the guard, Doctor, you get inside when I do and bring Brown out, Graham, you stay here and  
wait for me and Lector to get back. Be prepared to book it the hell out of here, no time for how do you do's, just  
get moving. Right?" Jack asked, looking at the boy who seemed ready to leap from the bushes at any moment.

"I want to go-" Will started, pausing as they all flinched at the sound of sudden screams echoing from the tent.

Will's eyes practically blew out of his head as he gasped and snatched up his rifle, the boy's surge of fear and  
fury sending him instantly to a quick leap through the bushes as he slipped through Jack and Hannibal's fingers.  
His helmet left spinning in the dirt.

"SHIT-" Jack cursed as Hannibal groaned and launched out of the woods after him.

Will slipped on the dirt as he darted across the field, gasping as he fought the pain of his wound and skidded  
at the tent's entrance.

Hannibal and Jack ran after him, both men kicking up dirt as they stumbled to a stop when five men rushed  
out of another tent closer to them.

"SHIT SHIT SHIT~!" Jack cursed again, joining Hannibal as they quickly raised their weapons and began firing  
at the group, another 3 coming out of the next tent to join to the fire-fight.

\---

Will ducked when the man in the tent whirled around and shot over his head, launching forward to tackle  
his knees and ground him as he snatched the pistol from his hand and shot him from under his jaw.

Matthew flinched and leaned to the side as the man's brains and blood exploded from the attacker, bits sticking and staining his  
bare bruised torso, camo uniform bottoms and boots. He blinked a few times in shock as he sat back upright in the metal chair  
his arms were tied behind, his ears ringing a bit as he slowly realized what had just happened.

"W-Willy!?" Matt shouted, yanking at the chains that bound his ankles and wrists, almost tipping the chair as  
he tried to stand and failed.

Will stood on his knees straddling the dead man as he searched frantically for keys after noticing the chains,  
panting as he fought the pain in his side screaming for attention.

"M-Matty where does he keep the keys, where are the keys!?"

"Will how the fuck- what the fuck- fuck! The keys are over there on the desk, hurry up! What the fuck is   
going on out there, who's shooting who!? What's all that!? Did the cavalry finally fucking arrive!?" Matt  
huffed as he spat blood from his mouth, cringing at the throbbing bruises under his broken cheek bone.

Will almost fell as he fumbled to the desk, his hands shaking as he found the ring and hurried to find the  
right key to unlock Matthew's bolted chains.

"How are you alive, Willy!? Who'd you...what, who's out there?! Will you answer me!?"

"I'm fucking superman god dammit, let me focus! Sergeant Crawford and Doctor Lecter are out there   
hopefully not fucking dying cause I'm a panicky god damned idiot! It was supposed to be a clean snatch  
to get you back but I heard you scream I couldn't just wait, I had to come get you!" Will gasped when the  
chains finally dropped.

Matt stood and instantly pulled Will to his feet, smashing a hard passionate kiss to the boy's lips as he gripped  
his smaller shoulders.

He panted with a crooked grin when he pulled back from the kiss and stared into the bright tearful blue eyes,  
his own vision slightly blurred from the beating as he stroked the dirty mess of short curls back.

"Where's your fuckin' head bowl, boy?" Matt said with a grin, Will choking on a sobbed laugh, the two ignoring  
the barrage of bullets exploding outside the tent in their moment.

\---

Will and Matthew stepped out of the tent when the shooting had suddenly stopped, the two staring  
wide eyed at least 13 dead enemy bodies Hannibal and Jack stood in the middle of.

"You better be really fuckin' happy I toted a god damned automatic with me, private!" Jack shouted  
through his panting, Hannibal smiling as he leaned over to yank his knife from a man's chest and wiped  
it clean on his pant leg.

"Sh-shit...I'm sorry sergeant..." Will started to apologize, studying the slit throats and gutted men  
filled with lead.

"Uh, damn, ya'll killed, literally and figuratively." Matt said as he grabbed Will's hand and walked over to them.  
Will gasped before he snatched his hand from his and looked at Jack with worried eyes.

Jack simply rolled his, flailing his arm as he responded to the spotted gesture, "You just bolted from the woods  
with a fresh bullet wound like a bat out of hell to save the bastard from being beaten half to death, I couldn't give two  
shits if you kissed the fool right now, Graham."

Will smiled wide and threw his arms around Matthew's shoulders, Matthew cringing with a soft chuckle as he wrapped  
his own around the boy's waist gently- pressing a light kiss to the dirt coated curls.

Hannibal and Jack exchanged short looks before they began gathering the dead men's ammunition and supplies.

"I'm so sorry I left you kiddo..." Matthew muttered against Will's hair, closing his eyes as he held him still.

"I shouldn't have been such a stupid distraction, Matty, I wasn't being careful, I should have been able to   
stop them-" Will sobbed into the man's neck, gripping him tighter almost as if he feared letting him go   
would mean never seeing him again.

"You did good, okay? Don't blame yourself, I....I..." Matt paused, blinking as he looked up to the sky and  
rested his chin in the mess of curls.

"I moved...if I hadn't...if I hadn't moved it would have been me who got shot...fuck...how are you alive,  
Willy...I had a mental fucking breakdown when you dropped....you practically died before the fuckers  
came out of nowhere and snatched me out of the trench...I threw my tags thinking the guys who come  
to gather dead fucking bodies would notice it and realized I was missing."

\---

**~~[Matthew Brown's Abduction]~~ **

_Matt dropped to his knees with Will as he blinked away the blood that splattered up across his face,_   
_gasping as he fumbled his hands around the boy's body to try and figure out what had just happened,_   
_where the blood had come from and why he suddenly spat and choked on the red liquid from nowhere._

_"Fuck, fuck fuck fuck, NO, FUCK!-" Matt stammered his curses, trying frantically to stop the bleeding from the_   
_boy's waist. "Willy, Willy no, come on, you're okay baby, it's okay, HEY! WAKE UP!_   
_WAKE UP!! HEY, DON'T CLOSE YOUR EYES, LOOK AT ME DAMMIT, WILL!?"_

_Matthew cried, a broken sob escaping his lips as he looked at his blood covered hands and pressed them back down_   
_to the pooling wound. Will's whimpers had stopped a few seconds ago now, his dirty hands loosening from clutching_   
_fists on his arms as he fell limp in the dirt._

_"Nuh uh, no, fuck, fuck, Willy, baby...god, oh- god, I love you, William, please, don't leave me, wake up~"_   
_Matt broke down, slamming his fist to the boy's chest once as he hunched over and cradled him in his arms._

_He gasped when a hand grabbed the back of his collar, choking as more hands suddenly appeared and dragged_   
_him up against the trench wall and away from Will's grounded body. "WHAT THE FUCK- FUCK YOU MOTHER_   
_FUCKERS, FUCK YOU! LET ME GO, FUCKING LET ME GO I'LL FUCKING KILL THE LOT OF YA I SWEAR TO FUCKING_   
_GOD YOU KILLED HIM YOU FUCKS, GET OFF! WILL!! WILLY WAKE UP! WAKE UP- WILLY, WAKE UP~!" Matt struggled, flailing_   
_as he kicked and swung at the enemy behind him, grunting as he yanked his tags from his neck and threw them_   
_down to land beside Will's bloody hand._

_Matthew screamed Will's name as he was dragged away by the men, fighting as much as he could before_   
_they paused to smash the butt of a rifle into his cheek, knocking him unconscious. He bled from the injury_   
_most of the way through the woods, groaning now and then towards the end as he began to wake again_   
_hours away from where they had left Will._

-

_"W...Will...."_

_He woke in the tent, chained to the chair, his head hanging as he leaned forward against the binds._

_He grunted when a fist snapped against his chin, forcing him to look up as he sat up, tilting forward_   
_to spit blood down to his lap._

_"F-fuck you..." Matt managed with a slur, wincing in pain to turn and watch the man circle the chair._

_"Tell us what we want to know and we'll let you go, white boy."_

_"Where's...where's Willy...where'd you take him...give him back and I'll tell you anything when I see him..."_

_"Willy?" The man scoffed, "Is that the name of the child in your pathetic hole in the ground? That's where he'll_   
_stay. In a hole, in the ground. The boy is dead. Try another demand."_

_Matt's eyes burned wide with fury, his jaw trembling as he stared at the man and began breathing heavier,_   
_tensing his wrists as he strained against the chains._

_"You left him there...? You shot him and left him...in the fucking dirt?" Matt spat as he snarled at the one man,_   
_twitching a scowl when he laughed in return._

_"He's not much good to us dead now is he? Now, if you wish, we could gather him and bring you his body._   
_Only after you tell us everything we need."_

_"That's fucking funny, cause- fuck you..." Matt answered, turning to stare down at his boots now, blinking_   
_away a the wetness from his eyes._

_"Suit yourself."_

_Matthew grunted as the man threw a hard fist to his face, knocking him to the ground on his side_   
_with a heavy thud._

\---


	4. A Lucky Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "...I didn't fucking tell them anything...if that's what everyone is wondering." His voice was nasally and tired, a  
> hoarse croak while he shifted his blackened eyes from the roof to Hannibal, his bruised up hand gently placed on Will's sleeping head.
> 
> "We never thought you did." Hannibal responded, blinking down to study the cigarette burns clustered on the man's  
> forearm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will's such a drama queeeeeen~   
> srry

 

  

 

Matt sat in the back with Hannibal, Will and Zeller as Price rode shotgun in the Humvee beside Crawford.

Zeller leaned against the door, Hannibal between him and Will as the boy laid away with his head resting on  
Matthew's dried bloody chest. Matthew had his head tilted back with tissue stuffed in his nostrils to stop his nosebleed,  
staring at the top of the vehicle as they all sat in silence. Nothing but the rumbling and roaring of the engine  
speeding up any time Jack reached a curve to exit woods and find the base.

Before they turned in, Matthew finally spoke.

"...I didn't fucking tell them anything...if that's what everyone is wondering." His voice was nasally and tired, a  
hoarse croak while he shifted his blackened eyes from the roof to Hannibal, his bruised up hand gently placed on Will's sleeping head.

"We never thought you did." Hannibal responded, blinking down to study the cigarette burns clustered on the man's  
forearm.

\---

A few hours passed after they arrived, the group of them going through debriefing and reports to explain the way the  
events panned out. Matthew refused being put in the medical tent, claiming he was fine with the bumps and bruises,  
accepting only simple bandages and stitches for the cuts among them.

Jack and Hannibal both informed the higher-ups that Matthew and Will were stable and well enough to function on their  
own now. The two thanked them, Will granting both grateful hugs at that.

"Alright soldier, at ease, Jesus..." Jack said as he cleared his throat, stepped out of the short hug and pushed the boy  
away with his elbow before returning to the tents.

Hannibal chuckled and smiled at Matthew and Will, holding a hand out to shake Matt's hand.

"Thanks for saving my boy, doc." Matt smirked, shaking Hannibal's hand firmly with a slight cringe at the grip.

"You're a lucky man, Mr. Brown. I've never seen anyone so brutal with a blade beside myself in quite some time."

"...a blade? Brutal? Hm?" Matt turned to see Will trying to stop Hannibal from talking with hand gestures, stopping  
as he grinned sheepish and guilty dropping his arms behind his back now.

"Uh, I had to get some info from a fucker who snatched me when I stepped away to take a shit...I stabbed him in the  
shoulder once, it wasn't crazy or anything...I just got mad. I didn't kill him over it."

Matt raised a brow and stared at Will with demanding eyes.

"...I killed him later...he lied about which tent you were in Matty I had to~!"

"I'm not mad. Just surprised, and kinda proud." Matt smirked and stoked Will's messy cheek.

"Why's that?" Hannibal asked curiously.

"Cause the kid couldn't harm a hair on a damn rabbit's head even if it meant starving in the woods. I  
don't get how he even joined the military with a mindset like that, but shit I knew he had something dark  
lurking in that sweet little heart of his...I thought you accidentally shot that asshole in the jaw in the tent."

Matthew grinned now, pulling Will in to press a kiss to his tightened  
nervous lips.

Hannibal blinked down to his own boots and shoved his hands in his pockets, smiling with a soft sigh as he  
nodded and understood.

"Again, a lucky man."

Will shifted his eyes to Hannibal as Matt nuzzled his face into his neck, holding him for weak support.

Hannibal caught the eye contact for a brief moment before giving a small smile and walking away.

Will scrunched his brows together and widened his eyes, gently pulling away from Matt as his mouth parted  
open to try and call for the man, deciding to run after him with a slight limp as he did.

"H-Hey! Doctor- Dr. Lecter, Hannibal!" Will shouted, Matt watching confused when the doctor didn't stop his  
strange departure with Will following.

\---

Hannibal finally stopped before he entered his medical tent, wincing as he turned to look at the worried boy.

"...where did you get hit, you lying fucking bastard?"

Hannibal sighed, "I'm a doctor, I can handle myself dear boy..."

"WHERE!?" Will shouted as he shoved the man's shoulder. Hannibal cringed harder at the push, stepping back from  
him as he scoffed and shook his head.

"You worry about everyone but yourself, child...you could make use to learn better."

Will scowled furiously and grabbed Hannibal's wrist, yanking the sleeve up to see a sliced bullet mark bleeding faintly  
through a layer of gauze.

"You got shot because I was a fucking idiot, I ran out and you got shot, why didn't you tell anyone?!"

"Who was I going to tell, William? The hostage, the wounded boy, the Sergeant shooting at a cluster of enemies  
that surrounded us, or the only doctor around? Which was me, by the way. It's like yours, it's a flesh wound. If  
it had went through a few centimeters aside I'm sure I would have lost consciousness after a few minutes during the fire-fight,

-but it didn't, it just missed the vein and I stopped the bleeding."

"But you could have died! I almost got you killed, god, Hannibal, what the fuck!?"  
Will cried out, throwing a fist to the man's thick chest as he shuddered furiously.

Hannibal frowned and looked over Will's shoulder as Matthew approached with a confused look on his face.

"...William thinks it's his fault I suffered a minuscule injury in your rescue.."

"I don't care how small, it was cruel of you to hide it!" Will suddenly screamed in Hannibal's face, pouting  
as he quickly left the two and hurried into an empty tent.

"...Uhhhhh,...okay...so...are you okay?" Matthew asked still baffled and confused.

Hannibal scoffed and nodded. "I'm more than fine, I took care of myself minutes after it happened. I would  
think the boy would be happy the hundred other bullets hadn't shredded Crawford and myself to bits over his  
surprising lunge into a warzone."

Matthew laughed and rubbed his aching face, "He's a damn project, I'll tell you that...I can tell he likes you too though.  
I'm not trying to start anything over it of course, shit, you saved him AND me..." Matt paused and sighed.

"-just...if he ends up calling me 'doctor' during sex I'm going to have to invite you for a threesome so he'll quit that shit."  
Matt grinned, Hannibal choking on a short laugh as he smiled back and followed Matthew in after Will to calm him down.

\---


End file.
